Forced to Land in the Wild—Then His Pilot Friend Lands Next to Him for a Bold Rescue

Forced Landing in the Wild and a Friend's Rescue

On 20 December 2009, a cockpit smoke report in Alaska developed into an emergency that required coordination between two air traffic specialists and, ultimately, a second pilot. The distressed pilot was Rick Schikora. Fairbanks Automated Flight Service Station specialist Michael Evans was initially assisting him, while Todd Lamb at Anchorage Center became involved as the situation developed.

Schikora had reported smoke in the cockpit. Evans was working without direction-finding equipment in the immediate area, so the aircraft was handed toward Anchorage Center to obtain better radar coverage and additional support. As the aircraft descended, communication became more difficult. The problem was not simply finding an airport: the available account describes a situation in which the pilot was losing altitude and needed a place to put the aircraft down.

Lamb used a nearby aircraft to help maintain the communication chain. A Piper Cub was being flown by a friend of Schikora, and the aircraft became part of the relay that allowed the emergency information to continue moving between the distressed pilot and the controllers. This was particularly important because of the remote Alaskan environment and the limited navigation infrastructure described in the source account.

Using his knowledge of the Cessna and the terrain available to the pilot, Lamb guided Schikora toward Nome Creek Trail. The trail was not a conventional runway. It was the practical landing area identified as the best available option as the aircraft's situation deteriorated. Schikora successfully landed there.

The story did not end with the first landing. The second pilot, flying the Piper Cub and already involved in the communication chain, decided to land near Schikora so he could provide direct assistance. Lamb continued coordinating from the control center and kept rescue support in mind because of the Alaskan conditions.

The account later described Schikora's survival as an early Christmas present. NATCA subsequently recognized the work of the controllers through the Archie League Medal of Safety Awards. The documented event is therefore a specific example of remote-area emergency coordination in which the solution depended on communication, knowledge of the aircraft and terrain, and the willingness of another pilot to become part of the rescue effort.

The use of a Piper Cub as a relay aircraft was especially important because the emergency was unfolding in a remote area. The account says there was no direction-finding equipment available to Evans at the outset, while the Anchorage Center provided better radar coverage. The second aircraft therefore served a practical communication role before becoming part of the physical rescue effort.

The landing site itself was also a product of the emergency's constraints. Lamb did not direct Schikora to a conventional airport in the account; he guided him toward Nome Creek Trail, described as the available narrow dirt landing area. After Schikora landed, his friend's decision to put the Piper Cub down nearby created immediate assistance on the ground while controllers kept rescue resources in the picture.

Accident Facts

Sources

• Video source (ATC/audio reconstruction)
• NATCA, “2010 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winners.”
• NATCA, Alaskan Region, 15 April 2016.
• 2010 Archie League Medal of Safety Awards booklet.
• Video/ATC recording